The sweeper/forward scored five goals in the Lady Rams' 6-1 victory over Furtah Prep last Monday and came back the next day to post a pair of scores in Monsignor Donovan's 4-0 win over King's Ridge Christian.

"It's been a total surprise and a happy one," said Mayton, whose team (3-1) defeated Furtah Prep 8-3 on Monday evening and will travel to Strong Rock Christian on Thursday. "I could see at practice that Julie had talent. She's got a strong leg and can put a corner kick wherever she wants to. I didn't see this one coming - but I'm glad she's here."

Barton - who scored five goals Monday and now has 13 goals on the season - was a bit surprised herself.

"Going out there as a freshman, I didn't even know if I was going to get any playing time," said Barton, who began playing soccer at the age of 5 with Athens United and in middle school played for the Dacula Soccer Club.

"I didn't know anything about our opponents or how they played. ... I kept taking shots and they kept going in. I guess whatever we were doing was working."

Barton admitted to a case of nerves for the Lady Rams' first home game (Monsignor Donovan lost its season opener at King's Ridge), which could explain why she missed on a couple of breakaways.

"I was just nervous," she said. "But the whole team settled down and we were able to work the ball and score."

Mayton said it wasn't until the second half against Furtah that the Lady Rams began to find a rhythm behind their rookie teammate.

"That game really developed in the second half," he said. "We were at a slow pace in the first half, but once we picked up momentum, the goals started. Julie had a few that were nice breakaways but she also got some good passes. We strive to do a lot of crossing to open up the goal."

The only Monsignor Donovan player to score in every game, Barton said she was excited about her performance against Furtah, but tempered her exuberance in anticipation of the Lady Rams' rematch with King's Ridge the next day.

"I was pretty excited, but I had to let that go," she said of last Monday's performance. "We had a game the next day and we couldn't go in cocky because we were playing a team that had beaten us. I forgot about those five goals because I wanted to play better the next time."

Besides her acumen on the pitch, Barton - whose sister Amanda is a sophomore goalkeeper/midfielder for the Lady Rams - also plays basketball and is an accomplished horseback rider.

When asked to pick her favorite sport, Barton opts for the tried-and-true "seasonal" response.

"It kind of depends," she said. "I like all three equally, so I don't know if I could pick one. I will try to do all three as long as I can. I guess it mainly depends on the season, although equestrian can go year-round."

Mayton said that while Barton's net-ripping capabilities have been a boost for the Lady Rams, he's equally enthused about she has helped with the team's on-field communication.

"As a freshman on a new team, she's not one to be very vocal," he said. "But on the field, you can see how she communicates there. We've struggled with that in the past, to get the girls to talk to each other on the field. She does a good job reading plays and it looks like we're jelling very well. We'll be a more dynamic team playing at her pace."

Honorable Mention

► Brent Davis, Taylor Maxey, North Oconee - Davis and Maxey teamed up to throw a no-hitter Tuesday as the Titans defeated East Jackson 15-0 in four innings. Maxey also went 3-for-3 with a three-run home run and five RBIs.

► Jake Fields, Jefferson - On Tuesday, Fields pitched six innings, allowing one run and four hits and striking out five, and also hit a home run as the Dragons defeated Walnut Grove 10-3.

► Ryan Finch, Prince Avenue Christian - Finch pitched a complete-game one hitter on Wednesday as the Wolverines won 11-1 at Tallulah Falls.

► Clarke Fisher, North Oconee - On Friday, Fisher tossed a four-inning no-hitter as the Titans beat East Jackson 15-0.

► Buck Gattie, Oconee County - On Friday, Gattie threw a complete-game two-hitter (with one earned run, one walk and seven strikeouts) and had two hits and two RBIs as the Warriors defeated Mountain View 8-2.

► Greg Hayes, Commerce - Hayes hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning on Tuesday to give the Tigers a 6-5 victory over Athens Academy.

► Max Pentecost, Clint Spratlin, Winder-Barrow - Pentecost had a three-run home run and Spratlin allowed just four hits in 6 2/3 innings Thursday as the Bulldoggs defeated Clarke Central 6-1.

► Dustin Phillips, Oconee County - Phillips pitched six innings, allowing no earned runs and six hits and struck out six on Monday as the Warriors won 9-5 at Morgan County in their Region 8-AAA opener. Phillips also had a hit and an RBI in the game.

► Austin Robinson, Jackson County - In Jackson County's 11-5 win over Mountain View on Monday, Robinson pitched five innings and allowed no earned runs and four hits while striking out four. He also went 2-for-2 with an RBI. On Friday, Robinson struck out five batters in four innings of relief as Jackson County beat Stephens County 9-8.

► Tony Smith, Cliff Neal, Oglethorpe County - Smith had three hits (including a home run) and four RBIs and Neal had two hits and an RBI and pitched six innings to earn the victory Tuesday as the Patriots won 11-4 at Banks County.

► Aaron Trammel, Bubba McDaniel, Zach Gentry, Apalachee - In the Wildcats' 8-6 win over rival Winder-Barrow on Monday, Trammel had three hits (including a three-run home run), McDaniel had two hits (including a two-run home run and a two-run double) and Gentry and had two hits (including a two-run triple).

► Bradley West, Will Lance, Clarke Central - In Friday's 12-11 win over Heritage, West pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts and Lance had two hits, two runs and four RBIs as the Gladiators defeated the Patriots for the first time in seven years.

Emily O'Rear, Athens Academy - On Tuesday, O'Rear recorded a hat trick as the Lady Spartans won 5-0 at Oglethorpe County.

Boys track

► Spencer Coker, Athens Christian - On Tuesday, Coker won the 110-meter high hurdles and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles as the Eagles defeated North Oconee, Oconee County and Flowery Branch in a quad meet.

► Jamal Cooper, Madison County - Cooper won the 100-meter run and finished second in the 200 meters and in the long jump on Saturday as the Red Raiders won the 14-team Loch Johnson Invitational.

► Dontavious Jennings, Josh Jarrells, Josh Holloway, Oglethorpe County - On Thursday, Jennings won the shot put and discus, Jarrells won the triple jump and 300-meter hurdles and Holloway won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs to lead the Patriots to a 92-44 victory over Warren County.

► Josh Kles, Derrick Perkins, Jefferson - Kles won the discus and shot put and Perkins was victorious in the triple jump and 110-meter hurdles on Tuesday as the Dragons won a dual meet at Greater Atlanta Christian. On Saturday at the Greater Atlanta Christian Invitational in Norcross, Kles took first in the discus and shot put and Perkins won the 100-meter hurdles as the Dragons finished second.

Girls track

► Dee Treadwell, Winder-Barrow - In a 70-62 victory over Alcovy on Thursday, Treadwell won the 100- and 200-meter dashes and finished second in the long jump.